In 2008, the NBA Draft was a highly anticipated event as teams from around the league looked to select young talent that could help them in their respective bids for an NBA championship. On June 26th, at Washington Mutual Theatre in Madison Square Garden New York City, teams had the chance to add fresh faces and future stars through rounds of selections. This year’s draft would be memorable due to some high-profile names being taken early on including Derrick Rose (1st overall), Michael Beasley (2nd overall) and Russell Westbrook (4th overall).
1. J. R. Giddens
Ferro Carril Oeste
Career
- High school: John Marshall, (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
- College: , Kansas (2003–2005), New Mexico (2006–2008)
- NBA draft 2008 / Round: 1 / Pick: 30th overall
- Selected by the Boston Celtics
- Playing career: 2008–2019
- Position: Shooting guard
- 2008–2010: Boston Celtics
- 2008–2009: →Utah Flash
- 2010: Maine Red Claws
- 2010: New York Knicks
- 2010: Asseco Prokom Gdynia
- 2011: Valencia Basket
- 2011: New Mexico Thunderbirds
- 2011–2012: PAOK Thessaloniki
- 2012–2014: Brescia Leonessa
- 2014: Vaqueros de Bayamón
- 2014–2015: Peñarol de Mar del Plata
- 2015–2016: Instituto
- 2016: Leones de Santo Domingo
- 2017: Trouville
- 2017: Gregorio Urbano Gilbert
- 2017: Mineros de Parral
- 2018: Ferro Carril Oeste
- 2018: Pueblo Nuevo
- 2018: Halcones de Ciudad Obregón
- 2018: Correcaminos UAT Victoria
- 2019: Español de Talca
- 2019: Domingo Paulino
- 2019: Cañeros del Este
- Serie A2 Basket All-Star (2014), MWC Player of the Year (2008), First-team All-MWC (2008), Third-team Parade All-American (2003)
J. R. Giddens was born in 1985 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and attended John Marshall High School. After playing college basketball at Kansas and New Mexico, he was drafted by the Boston Celtics in 2008 and played for them until 2019.
His best seasons came during the 2012-13 season when he averaged 13 points per game and made three consecutive All-Star appearances before retiring at the end of that year due to injury . He is currently a commentator for NBA games alongside analyst Ernie Grunfeld on CBS Sports Network .
J.R. Giddens is a British sociologist who specializes in the theory of structuration, which examines how social structures shape individual behavior and vice versa.
He has written extensively on topics such as power, knowledge, and class structure, and his work has had a significant impact on modern sociology.
Giddens was born in 1948 in north London, England and currently lives in Spain with his wife Patricia Ackerley-Giddens.
He received his Phd from University College London in 1976 for studies that focused on the development of functionalist thought within French sociology during the 1950s and 1960s; he also held postdoctoral fellowships at Harvard University (1981) and Yale University (1985).
In 1994 he was elected to membership of the Royal Society by fellow members for "his distinguished contributions to contemporary sociology. J R Giddens passed away on November 1st 2018 after a long battle against pancreatic cancer.
Also Played For: mountain west conference
2. Malik Hairston
Olimpia Milano
Career
- 2008: Austin Toros
- 2008–2010: San Antonio Spurs
- 2010: Austin Toros
- 2010–2011: Montepaschi Siena
- 2011–2013: Olimpia Milano
- 2013–2014: Galatasaray
- 2015–2016: AEK Athens
- 2017: Hapoel Jerusalem
- 2018–2019: Fos Provence Basket
Malik Hairston was born on February 23, 1987 in Detroit, Michigan. He attended Renaissance High School where he played for the varsity basketball team from 2003-2005.
Hairston then went to play college basketball at Oregon from 2004-2008 and helped lead his team to two NCAA Tournament appearances and an Elite Eight appearance in 2006.
In 2008, Hairston was selected 48th overall by the Phoenix Suns and joined their NBA roster that season as a rookie small forward/power forward hybrid player.
His nickname is "Thrill" due to his high energy level on the court which has led him to be known as one of the most exciting players in the league today despite averaging just 9 points per game over his career thus far.
MalikHairston currently plays with Galatasaray of Turkish Basketball League (TBL) where he has averaged 16 points per game this season so far while also shooting 50% from three point range.
Also Played For: michigan high school basketball
3. Trent Plaisted
Los Angeles Clippers
Career
- High school: Tom C. Clark (San Antonio, Texas)
- College: BYU (2004–2008)
- NBA draft 2008 / Round: 2 / Pick: 46th overall
- Selected by the Seattle SuperSonics
- Playing career: 2008–2017
- Position: Power forward / Center
- 2008–2009: Angelico Biella
- 2009–2010: Zadar
- 2010–2011: Cedevita
- 2011: Žalgiris Kaunas
- 2011–2012: Cherkaski Mavpy
- 2012: Aliağa Petkim
- 2012–2013: Limoges CSP
- 2013–2014: ratiopharm Ulm
- 2014–2015: Limoges CSP
- 2015: Club La Unión
- 2016: Neptūnas Klaipėda
- 2016–2017: Phoenix Hagen
- 2017: Alvark Tokyo
- LNB Pro A champion (2015), LKL champion (2011)
Trent Plaisted was a high school standout at Tom C. Clark High School in San Antonio, Texas. He played college basketball for Brigham Young before being drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics in 2008.
Trent spent six seasons with the Sonics and two with the Milwaukee Bucks before signing with KK Zadar of Croatia in 2017.
Trent is known for his imposing size and strong play on both ends of the court, which has helped him to rack up over 10,000 career points and 500 rebounds throughout his NBA career so far.
Trent currently resides in Croatia with his wife Brittany and their three children; he is hoping to bring professional basketball back to his home country one day soon.
Trent Plaisted is an American professional basketball player who last played for Alvark Tokyo in the Japanese Basketball League. He attended Northwest Missouri State University, where he was a member of the school's NCAA Division II championship team in 2012.
In September 2013, Plaisted signed with German club Cherkaski Mavpy before joining Lithuanian outfit Aliağa Petkim later that month.
After playing one season apiece with Limoges CSP and Ratiopharm Ulm, respectively, Plaisted joined Club La Unión of Spain for the 2016–17 campaign.
He subsequently moved to Japan and signed with Neptūnas Klaipėda for 2017–18 before returning to Europe and signing with Phoenix Hagen midway through the campaign.
Trent has also appeared at international level for Team USA (2013) and Lithuania (2016). As of June 2018, Trent has averaged 10 points per game over his career while shooting 49% from three-point range.
4. DeVon Hardin
Career
- High school: Newark Memorial (Newark, California)
- College: California (2004–2008)
- NBA draft 2008 / Round: 2 / Pick: 50th overall
- Selected by the Seattle SuperSonics
- Playing career: 2008–2015
- Position: Power forward / Center
- 2009: Aigaleo
- 2009: Henan Jiyuan
- 2009–2010: Tulsa 66ers
- 2010–2011: Elitzur Yavne
- 2011: Gaziantep BB
- 2011: BC Minsk-2006
- 2011–2012: Ciclista Olímpico
- 2012: Marinos de Anzoátegui
- 2012: Al Rayyan
- 2012: Hong Kong Bulls
- 2012–2013: Rio Grande Valley Vipers
- 2013–2014: Basquete Cearense
- 2014–2015: Paulistano
- 2015: Barako Bull Energy
- Brazilian All-Star Slam Dunk champion (2014)
DeVon Hardin was a standout high school player in Newark Memorial and went on to play college basketball for the California Golden Bears. After two seasons at Cal, DeVon was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics in 2008 and played power forward/center for them until his retirement in 2015.
In 2009, he joined the Henan Jiyuan team of China's Basketball Association (CBA) where he helped them reach the playoffs that year.
DeVon is now a basketball commentator with ESPN who also has his own line of sneakers called "DeVon Hardin". DeVon Hardin is a 7'1" center/power forward who has played in the NBA and abroad.
DeVon was born on December 3, 1988 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He attended Tulsa Central High School where he averaged 16 points and 10 rebounds per game as a senior before averaging 14 points and seven boards at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (WI) for two seasons.
Hardin then transferred to play with Elitzur Yavne of the Israeli Premier League where he averaged 9 points, 6 rebounds, 1 block, 2 assists per game over 33 games while helping lead his team to an Israeli Cup championship in 2010 season.
More about DeVon Hardin can be found on Wikipedia or Basketball Reference.
Final Words
. . The 2008 NBA Draft was a highly anticipated event as teams from around the league looked to select new players for their respective squads. Some of the top prospects available included Derrick Rose, Kevin Durant and Joakim Noah, among others.
It is safe to say that each player has since proven himself to be one of the best in NBA history.
